Shadows
by Hybryd0
Summary: AU The past comes back to haunt some CSIs as the future looms ahead.
1. Reunion

AN: Okay, this is set in season one sometime right after Megan left. Ryan replaces her. Also, I haven't been able to find canon ages for Danny or Ryan so I'm taking a little liberty with that. I was actually a few pages into this when I saw the first trailer for X3, which caused me to squeal embarrassingly. That being said this is a very...altered Marvel Universe. Some fundamental things have been changed, such as a mutant registration law being passed, but for the most part there's not a huge hatred between humans and mutants...yet. It's not really necessary to know the Marvel Universe to read this.

XxXxX

When the word 'unusual' was used to describe the call out Speed knew it was going to be a long day. The term 'unusual' was police code for mutant involved crime. That wasn't exactly how Speed wanted to start his day and certainly not what he wanted his first case alone with Ryan to be. Ryan had already proven to be a fast learner, picking up on all the hints and tips he and Eric had been giving the younger man since his first day a few weeks ago. But a mutant involved case was really going to test Ryan's abilities.

"You never did answer my question," Ryan spoke up, snapping Speed out of his thoughts.

Speed glanced over at him. "Which one? You've been a boat load of questions lately."

"Why didn't you ever search me out? You had to know I was in Miami," Ryan repeated his question from several nights ago.

"Maybe for the same reason you didn't contact me," Speed replied. Yeah, he had definitely known that Ryan was in Miami, but his own insecurity had kept him from approaching his younger friend.

Ryan didn't reply to that, which Speed was grateful. Neither of them had brought up the past yet. It was a no man's land. A subject neither of them wanted to touch. For the moment they were just happy to be reunited and on friendly terms at that. Speed's cynical mind had to wonder how long that was going to last. There were just too many things left unsaid for the peace to last for long.

At the crime scene they were both stunned. The victim was a female mutant with obvious physical mutation. She had been beaten horribly. Her soft green fur was hiding the terrible bruising that was probably underneath. It might have even been the cause of death, but neither CSI made that assumption. There were also some places where the fur had been burned away and the skin beneath definitely had third degree burns. Alexx was knelt beside the body when Speed stopped beside her.

"Do you have a cause of death Alexx?"

"Nothing concrete yet, but the blood around the mouth leads me to believe some kind of internal injury," Alexx replied. She brushed a few strands of dark green hair away. "You didn't deserve this sweetheart."

Speed looked over at Ryan. "You photograph."

Speed watched as his charge began to photograph the body before he made a beeline for Tripp, who was questioning the neighbors. Tripp looked up at his approach and broke away from the woman he had been talking to.

"Do we have an ID?" Speed asked

"Neighbors ID'd her as Angela Santigo," Tripp answered. "Apparently she was a mutant activist."

"Witnesses?"

"No witnesses. Nobody heard or saw anything. Two women coming home from a party found the body and called 911," Tripp explained.

Speed frowned. Something wasn't exactly adding up. It had to have taken time for someone to beat the victim so badly. How didn't anyone see it in the middle of the courtyard?

"Tim?"

Speed looked over at Ryan's call and went to his friend's side. "Got something?"

"See anything strange?" Ryan answered the question with another question.

Speed cocked an eyebrow, but did immediately notice what Ryan meant. The coroner had taken the body and there was something strikingly obvious. All the grass in a six-foot radius around the body was dead. It was as if something had just sucked the life right out of the grass leaving it brown and shriveled. It was scarily familiar.

"Energy absorption," Ryan confirmed Speed's thoughts.

"Which means another mutant was here," Speed said with a sigh. "This isn't going to end well."

"Should you let Horatio know?" Ryan asked.

"He's already got enough on his plate," Speed replied. He rubbed a hand over his face. "Make sure to photograph that and get a few samples."

"Done and done."

"Well then, keep at it."

Speed turned away from Ryan and groaned when he spotted two well-groomed men in suits approaching. _Damn they were quick._ He motioned to Ryan to keep doing what he was doing while he met the two men half way. Anyone looking on could see the obvious tension in all three men.

"Timothy Speedle. We seem to be seeing a lot of each other lately," the darker skinned man said. His smile looked genuine enough, but Speed knew it was empty.

"Agent Dickerson, Agent Sanchez. You seem to be stalking me lately," Speed replied. There was no fake smile on his face, instead almost open hostility.

"You can blame that on all the dying mutants," Agent Sanchez retorted. There was open dislike in the Hispanic man's eyes. "You seem to get all the mutant cases."

"We find that...interesting," Agent Dickerson continued. "We're not so sure how wise it is to have mutants handling mutant cases."

That touched a raw nerve, but the only indication of his anger was a slight narrowing of the eyes. "Then I suggest you take that up with my Lieutenant. Until then I have a job to do gentlemen."

"Angela Santigo was a mutant activist. A very outspoken one," Sanchez said as Speed turned away.

"Good for her," was Speed's dismissive reply as he started to walk toward Ryan.

"Speedle," Dickerson barked. "You better not be biased on this one."

That struck an even deeper nerve. He didn't let any of his emotions show outwardly as he turned slowly and walked back toward the two agents. He could sense apprehension and even a little fear from the two. _Good. _He stopped in front of them and made sure they each felt the full heat of his glare.

"I have never, _never_, been biased on a case.I take my job very seriously," Speed told them. "And I don't appreciate you coming around my crime scenes, harassing me, and potentially outing me to the public."

"We apologize," Sanchez said, but it lacked sincerity. "Just know that we're keeping an eye on you."

"You, and agents like you, have been keeping an eye on me my whole life. Just stay out of my way," Speed retorted and then quickly stalked away.

Agent Sanchez glanced at his partner. "He doesn't know how to play this game, does he?"

"He's never played nice with agents before," Dickerson replied. "We're just lucky he's one of the good ones."

XxXxX

Ryan rubbed his head, feeling a headache coming on. He was stressed and very not happy at the turn the case was taking. _Why did my first case alone with Tim have to be a mutant one?_ It was too close to home. It almost made him wish he was still on patrol, but before the thought could fully process itself he felt a gentle touch on his mind. He hesitated briefly, unsure of whether he was ready to take such a big step with someone he hadn't fully forgiven yet, but in the end he gave in. He hadn't felt it in so long that it wasn't until he opened his own mind that he realized how much he'd missed it, missed the link the two shared. As soon as he opened the door in his mind he felt a rush of reassurance and smiled despite how downtrodden he felt.

_Gonna be okay, kid. You'll see._

It was the first time in a long time that Ryan had allowed a telepath in his mind. Usually he kept it tightly shut with heavy defenses. But the empathic link Speed had with him made it seem somewhat less intrusive. It was a gentle touch and instead of completely interrupting his thoughts Speed's telepathic communications just blended in as if they were his own thoughts. Ryan hadn't felt anything like it in years and for a brief moment he was reminded of what had been lost.

_Come to the break room._

And Ryan didn't need anymore encouragement than that. He deserted the trace evidence he had been working on and made a beeline for the break room. Inside Speed had already poured them both coffee and was sitting on the couch. He handed one of the cups to Ryan when the young man entered and Ryan took a seat beside him.

"I almost didn't think you'd drop your defenses," Speed remarked, taking a sip of his hot coffee.

"I almost didn't," Ryan replied. "But...I've missed it."

Speed didn't comment on the unspoken _missed you_ that hung in the air. The two settled into a comfortable silence as they took a few minutes to wind down. No words were needed between them. It was only when Eric entered the break room that the silence was broken.

"Sitting down on the job, Speed?" Eric teased as he poured himself a cup of coffee. Ryan felt his heart flutter. He was harboring somewhat of a crush on the older man. "Gonna teach Wolfe all your bad habits?"

"Don't start, Delko," Speed warned.

Eric cocked an eyebrow. "What crawled up your ass and died?"

"Murdered mutant," Speed retorted shortly.

_Does he know?_ Ryan's question jumped into Speed's thoughts without warning.

_No. _Speed quickly replied. He quickly threw all his feelings on that particular subject down their connection. Ryan shot him a baleful look and Speed felt the hurt behind it, hurt that Speed would even think he would intentionally out him to anyone. Just as quickly as it had been opened the link between them was snapped shut and Speed felt the deep loss. He tried to pass on an apology, but his words bounced back at him as if they'd hit a concrete wall, which they may as well have. Knowing he had upset his friend, Speed gave up for the moment.

"How's the case coming?" Eric asked.

"Haven't heard the official COD, but she looked like someone beat her to death," Speed answered. "You?"

"Apparently, we've inherited a serial killer from Las Vegas. Some of their crew who worked the cases there are coming here to help," Eric replied in a tone that indicated he clearly thought he had the better case.

Speed smirked. "So you get to play the jurisdiction game with Vegas? Have fun."

"Oh," Eric muttered, his enthusiasm seeping away. "I didn't think of it like that."

"Well, look at it this way. At least you don't have to deal with pushy, overbearing Mutant Control agents," Ryan spoke up. "I think you got the better end of the deal."

"I've dealt with MC agents before. Not fun," Eric replied. He shot a smirk at Speed. "Guess that means I got the better case."

"Oh no, your cross jurisdiction does not beat our mutant murder," Speed argued.

"We'll see."

XxXxX

**_The air was bitterly cold with a wind that gnawed relentlessly at Speed. Flakes of snow drifted through the air, clinging to his hair and clothes. A large building loomed behind him seeming dark and ominous while all around him there was only the sound of the harsh wind. He shivered, realizing with a little surprise that he was in shorts, a t-shirt, and sandals. Not at all the appropriate clothing for winter weather._**

**_There was no sound of anyone approaching, but quite suddenly Speed knew someone was behind him. Spinning, ready for whatever was there, he stopped in surprise to see Ryan. Ryan's eyebrow cocked at Speed's apparent readiness to fight, but one glare from Speed silenced any teasing remarks._**

**_"No fair Ryan. You block me from your waking mind and then invade my sleeping one?" Speed scolded._**

**_"Not invading," Ryan defended himself. "You called me here."_**

**_"I did?"_**

**_"You know me better than that, Tim. If I felt you didn't want me in your mind I certainly wouldn't invade it," Ryan replied with a look of hurt in his dark eyes. "Besides, if I was going to invade your mind I would make sure you didn't know I was doing it, not come directly to your consciousness."_**

**"_You were doing good until that last bit, Wolfe."_**

**"_Oh ouch, down to the last name, huh? Well, why don't you just tell me whatever you need to tell me and I'll be gone, Speedle."_**

_**Speed sighed, then growled as the wind whipped around them again. "First, change the scenery. I'm done with this bitter wind crap."**_

**"_Yes master," Ryan said sarcastically._**

_**Speed was about to make a biting retort when things suddenly shifted. It was not the first time he'd shared a dream with Ryan, but it had been long enough that the feel of his mind being manipulated almost made him sick. It was over as quick as it started and the setting had changed to a nice, calm beach with a gentle breeze.**_

**"_Better?"_**

**"_Better," Speed confirmed. "Now, how exactly did I call you here? Cause I don't remember doing it."_**

_**Ryan shrugged. "You called me, Tim. I wouldn't be here otherwise."**_

**"_Well, I think you can be on your way now."_**

_**Ryan frowned, eyes dark and hurt again. "That's how it's going to be now? Are you going to pretend we're not friends? Are we even friends? I mean, how can I be sure? You've already run off and abandoned me. That's not what friends do."**_

**"_Oh don't even," Speed grunted, turning away. "I didn't abandon you, Ryan. You were fine--."_**

**"_No, I wasn't fucking fine, Tim. You left me all alone with one friend dead and the other responsible. God, you even knew about my feelings for Greg and what it had to have been doing to me," Ryan stalked forward and swung Speed around to glare at him. "Did you even stop to consider that you were making things worse? Or did you only think about your own grief? Because I clearly remember Greg being my friend too. Hell, I was closer to him than you ever were."_**

**"_Don't talk to me about grief you little punk," Speed snarled. Ryan had pushed one too many buttons. "If I remember correctly you shut me out. You blocked our link and avoided me. You gave me nothing to stay for."_**

**"_God, were you that oblivious? I was shutting everyone out. A real friend would have seen that and forced me to talk about it."_**

**"_Oh yeah, cause we were just so good at talking about our feelings," Speed sneered. "Greg...he was the emotional center."_**

**"_So that's your excuse? Without Greg around to force you to talk to me I just wasn't worth the effort?"_**

_**Speed growled in frustration. "That's it. This talk is over with."**_

**"_Ask me to leave and I will."_**

**"_I'll do you one better."_**

Ryan gasped at the sharp pain that spiked through his head as he jolted awake. His whole body throbbed as if he'd just done a belly flop from his apartment balcony. Being thrown out of someone's mind never felt good, but Speed had put an unreasonable amount of power behind it. He shouldn't have gone, never should have allowed his mind to be pulled into Speed's dream. He should have known that things would not go well and what had he been thinking bringing up Greg? There was a reason why they hadn't talked about it yet and he had hoped when they did it would be face to face.

"Fucked that up, Wolfe," he growled at himself.

There was no going back to sleep now. Ryan closed his eyes, opened his mind to his link with Speed, and shoved his irritation and anger right down the line. He might as well have screamed _bastard_ right into Speed's mind. He then quickly closed the link again and rolled out of bed. He knew he'd feel bad about it later after a nightmare plagued Speed arrived at work, but for the moment he felt justified. Speed could have just asked him to leave his mind and he would have. The force was totally uncalled for, Speed didn't have to force him out that harshly since he already knew what it would do to Ryan. A few nightmares would make it even in Ryan's book.

XxXxX

Although Speed always looked like he'd just crawled out of bed all scruffy and ruffled, this time he looked like death warmed over when he arrived at work. There were dark circles under his eyes and his hair was messier than ever. Despite that he had the look of someone on the warpath. The air around him was charged and anyone who got too close felt a rush of negative emotions. His furious expression, rarely seen by anyone, was enough to keep most at bay. Calleigh took one look at him and retreated back into her lab, completely unwilling to get between Speed and his target. Speed stalked right past Eric and Horatio as if they weren't there and went straight for the trace lab where Ryan was already working.

Ryan looked up when Speed entered and then quickly looked away. He was startled when his arm was grabbed and shot Speed a heated glare. He tried to jerk his arm back, but Speed held on. Despite their closed link, Ryan could feel the anger radiating off his friend, which meant Speed was really pissed off. Speed yanked Ryan out of the lab and dragged him into the locker room where he shoved him against a locker.

"Don't you ever use our link against me. Never again, do you understand me?" Speed snarled, beyond furious. "That was the pact we made when I established the links between us all."

Ryan shoved Speed away from himself. "You _threw_ me out of your dream. You know what that does to me."

"So you decide to give me nightmares?" Speed took a step forward, but Ryan didn't back up. "Do you know what I dreamed about, Wolfe? Do you have any idea what kind of nightmares you gave me with that little stunt?"

"Do you have any idea the headache you gave me?" Ryan growled back, stepping up to meet Speed's advance. "That made my whole body hurt. Next time you want me out of your dream, just tell me to leave and I'll do it on my own."

"Next time just stay the hell out of my dream," Speed hissed back.

"Gentlemen, do we have a problem?" Both men jumped in surprise and turned to face a very not amused Horatio. "Am I going to have to separate you?"

"I was just leaving," Speed replied. He then left behind one fuming CSI and a bewildered Lieutenant.

XxXxX

Through the mutant registration database Speed and Ryan were able to find the only mutant in Miami with the ability to absorb energy from living things. Vince Regalo, known on the streets as the Death Walker, was easy enough to find. He was cool and calm, having no fear whatsoever of the cops, as he sat in the seat across from Speed and Ryan. His dark eyes locked with Ryan's and never looked away, perhaps sensing that he was the more inexperienced of the two.

"Where were you last night, Vince?" Speed asked.

"Out and about," Regalo replied.

"That's a nasty scratch you've got there pal," Speed commented.

"Yeah, some punk started something and--."

"Some punk named Angela Santigo? If we compare your DNA to the DNA we found under her nails, are we going to find a match?"

"Maybe, maybe not."

"You're not helping yourself here."

"You fools don't scare me," Regalo sneered. "If you had something on me I'd already be in federal custody."

"You're wrong Vinny," Speed replied. "See, we can place you at the scene. You're the only energy-absorbing mutant in Miami. You handed yourself to us on a silver platter the moment you used your powers."

"MC agents are waiting until we're done with you before they take you," Ryan added. He was extremely uncomfortable with how Regalo was staring at him, but he didn't let it show. "We're giving you a chance to help yourself."

"Oh, fuck that. You and I both know that there's nothing I can do to help myself. They're gonna lock me away in some dark place and find out what makes me tick," Regalo growled.

"Probably even have ways of neutralizing your powers, Vinny," Speed added. "But you can help yourself here. You know only murderers get sent to the labs. You didn't kill Angela, did you?"

Regalo remained silent, still staring unwaveringly at Ryan. Ryan stared right back. "C'mon, help yourself here. The difference between the murderer and the accomplice is a longer life."

"Because we're all painfully aware of what the Feds do to mutants that use their powers to kill," Speed continued. "If you didn't kill Angela Santigo, you need to tell us who did."

"Otherwise you're about to become a lab rat," Ryan continued. "Have you ever seen what they actually do at those labs? It's not pretty. They'll drug you out of your mind. Force you to use your powers until you don't have any strength left. Then they'll start cutting you open. They might even crack your skull open while you're still alive."

"And since you can use your energy absorption to live through fatal injuries all they would have to do is supply you with some kind of living thing, probably plants, and you would live through whatever they do to you."

Regalo was paling more and more. For the first time since they entered he looked away from Ryan and down at the table. He swallowed hard as his fingers drummed restlessly on the table. After a few minutes he looked up.

"I'm sorry guys. I can't tell you anything," came the soft response. "If I squawk and get a lighter sentence I won't live to enjoy it."

Ryan sighed and leaned back in his seat. "Can you tell us anything?"

"Like why Angela Santigo?"

Regalo shifted and leaned back in his own seat. His eyes fixed onto Ryan once more. "This won't come back on me?"

"Man, if you don't tell us who the real killer is you're going away for it," Speed prodded.

"I already told you. I can't tell you who was involved."

"There's got to be something you can tell us," Ryan coaxed.

Regalo hesitated briefly, then sighed. "Angela was chosen because she was so outspoken for mutant rights."

"Why? She was fighting for your rights too."

"It wasn't supposed to look like mutants did it," Regalo replied. "That was a mistake I made in the heat of the moment."

"It was supposed to look like norms did it?" Ryan mused. "You wanted mutants to think that some normal humans had killed her."

"I didn't want anything," Regalo defended himself. "I'm a little fish on this totem pole."

"So, give us one of the sharks."

Regalo snorted. "You're still not understanding me. If I tell you anything more than I already have, I won't make it to any labs."

"You'd rather be cut open and experimented than..."

"Be tortured to death in ways you can't understand," Regalo finished.

Before Speed or Ryan could say anything more the door into the interrogation room opened and two men in suits entered. The badges on their chests clearly identified them as Mutant Control agents. The taller of the two went straight for Vince Regalo while the smaller man approached the two CSIs. Speed stood up to meet the man as he threw him a glare.

"You can't just burst in here while we're questioning him," Speed said. "We're not done."

"Yes you are," the agent replied.

"Regalo didn't kill Angela Santigo," Ryan argued.

The taller agent snapped a collar around Regalo's neck. "He's the only energy absorbing mutant in Miami."

"Yeah, and she didn't have the life sucked out of her," Speed retorted. "This guy is the only one who knows who else was involved."

"Mutants have the same rights as everyone else. They're innocent until proven guilty," Ryan added.

"His abilities were involved in a homicide. He's guilty and he's coming with us."

The taller agent shoved Vince Regalo out of the room. Ryan grabbed the other agent's arm before he could leave. The shorter man jerked back as if he had been burned.

"If you ever touch me again I'll have you taken down for assaulting an MC agent," the man snarled. "You've lost the fight, mutant. Give it up."

Ryan took a step back as if he'd been physically punched. Speed growled and took a step forward, immediately moving to defend his friend. The agent sneered at him, then turned and followed the other agent. The room was silent for only a moment.

"Damnit."

XxXxX

Two days later and Ryan and Speed's case had stalled. There were no witnesses even though the beating took place right in the middle of the apartment complex courtyard. No one heard or saw anything. The only physical evidence led to Vince Regalo, who Mutant Control had already taken. There was no evidence of more suspects even though Speed's gut and Vince's words told him otherwise. There were more people involved, probably mutants too.

"Okay, this murder took place in the open," Ryan mused. "There were people on their balconies at the time. Why didn't anyone see or hear anything?"

Speed looked down at the crime scene photos. "We agree that there were probably more mutants involved. We can assume one or more of them probably had an ability that helped keep things hidden."

"We could be talking about illusionists, camouflage--."

"Light bender," Speed cut in. "The witnesses didn't say anything about a fuzziness or headaches, so it couldn't have been an illusionist."

"And most mutants with a camouflage ability can only use it on themselves," Ryan continued. "Only a light bender could have concealed the whole thing from view."

"Yeah, but she had to have been screaming and yelling. Light benders can't do anything about sound," Speed replied. "So, a sonic mutant had to be there too."

"Okay, so the light bender would have been busy keeping things hidden and the sonic would have been busy absorbing the sounds. If Regalo didn't kill her there had to be a fourth person."

"That would be...my...guess..."

Ryan looked up at Speed's murmured, somewhat distracted reply. Speed was looking into the distance with clearly unfocussed eyes. Ryan recognized that look. It meant something had just gotten past Speed's mental barriers and distracted him. It didn't happen often since Speed was extremely talented with mental defenses, but there was the occasional surprise. Then Speed blinked and it was gone. When he looked back at Ryan his face revealed nothing, but his eyes held just a glimmer of something Ryan couldn't place.

"You okay?" Ryan asked, somewhat hesitantly since they still hadn't made up after their fight.

"Fine," Speed replied shortly. "We need to handle this a lot more carefully than we have been."

"You mean not use the federal databases, because that's the only way those agents knew we had Vince Regalo in here for questioning," Ryan said. For the moment he was going to let Speed's little slip go. "You're talking about hitting the streets."

"You were on patrol for a while. You have to know someone we can talk to who has tabs on all the mutants in Miami."

"I might know someone. Getting in contact with him will be the hard part," Ryan mused. "Give me a few minutes and I'll see what I can do."

Speed followed Ryan out of the interrogation room and down the hall. It was obvious Ryan had no idea he was being followed. They made it as far as the break room before Speed reached out and snagged his friend by the back of the shirt. Ryan gave a surprised sound of protest as he was pulled into the break room with Speed. Eric and Horatio were already in there and they were speaking with three people. One was a man with a strong build, short dark hair, and warm brown eyes. Another was a woman with scrutinizing brown eyes and flowing dark hair. The third was a man with spiky, out of control blond hair and sparkling brown eyes. The conversation that had been taking place stopped at the interruption and the three strangers looked their way. Speed laid a hand on Ryan's shoulder, able to feel the intense emotions that were already bubbling inside. Ryan unconsciously leaned into the comforting touch as he stared wide-eyed at the source of his surprise.

"Guys," Eric spoke up, confused by his co-workers' reactions to the visitors. "This is Nick Stokes, Sara Sidle, and--."

"Greg?" Ryan whispered. "Greg, how?"

The blonde was obviously shell-shocked. He stared in horrified silence at Ryan before his eyes flicked to Speed. Speed gave him a hard look that said without words that Greg had a lot to explain. Greg swallowed hard and looked at Ryan, who appeared to be trying very hard to stay calm.

"I...um...I didn't know you two lived in Miami," Greg finally said. It was stupid and far from the words that should have been leaving his mouth.

Speed snorted. "Otherwise you wouldn't have come here, right?"

"I didn't say that."

"You didn't have to, Greg, or have you forgotten?" Speed retorted. Sensing that maybe his idea of bringing Ryan into the break room to confront Greg might have been a bad idea, Speed grabbed Ryan's arm and started to pull him out of the room.

Ryan planted his feet and knocked Speed's hands off him. "Enough pulling me around like I'm still a goddamn kid, Tim!"

"Acting like one," Speed retorted.

"Don't even start," Ryan snarled. He then turned his attention to Greg. "And you! You have a lot of explaining to do Gregory Sanders!"

Greg's companions looked confused by the exchange. Nick reached out and touched Greg's shoulder. "Greg? You know these two?"

"Childhood friends," Greg replied shortly.

Speed snorted. "Friends, huh?"

"Tim," Ryan snarled.

"Oh don't 'Tim' me damnit. I have a right to be as pissy as I want with him," Speed retorted with a hint of edge to his voice. "And why are you defending him?"

"I'm not defending him," Ryan snapped back.

"You were, don't deny it. You're ready to forgive him already and he hasn't even explained himself yet."

Greg blinked at the two arguing men in front of him. "Uh, guys, maybe we should do this later when none of us are on the clock."

_You're not getting out of this._

_I'm not trying to._

Speed shot Greg one more heated look before he turned and stalked out of the break room. Ryan hesitated, unsure of whether he could stick around and talk to Greg yet, then finally turned and followed Speed. Ryan knew they still had a case to work on even though it seemed like things were getting even rockier between Speed and him. But the case was more important than anything going on in his personal life, so he pushed all his feelings to the side and went on with his job.

XxXxX

Tracking down Alexander Jonas was not an easy task. Jonas always seemed to have a sixth sense about cops, and Ryan in particular, looking for him. Even Mutant Control agents had a hard time keeping track of him. But Ryan knew he hung out at the mutant friendly Club X-Factor and it was only a matter of waiting before the slippery mutant showed up. Sure enough, Ryan had only just ordered a coke when he saw the red-haired Jonas enter the club.

Ryan smiled to himself and easily made his way through the crowd. Jonas never saw him coming. Of course the good looking red-head was surrounded by the usual gaggle of woman throwing themselves at his feet. Ryan ignored them and slid into the seat across from Jonas and watched with inner amusement as Jonas paled before composing himself.

"Why, Officer Wolfe, what can I do for you?" Jonas asked with obviously faked pleasantness.

"I'm sure you've heard about Angela Santigo by now, Jonas. Why don't you tell me what you know about her murder," Ryan replied.

Jonas's eyes grew huge. "I swear I don't know anything, Wolfe."

"Your reaction suggests otherwise," Ryan leaned forward, eyes hard and dark. "You don't want to lie to me, Jonas. I can come back with someone who can make you give me the information."

"All I can tell you is that this was planned and executed by dangerous people and it goes a lot deeper than you think," Jonas said. He pushed a hand through his hair and sighed. "You're in way over your head on this one."

"Fine. I won't ask you specifically about the murder. However, I need mutant information and I know that you know all the mutants in the city."

At that Jonas relaxed a little. "Then I won't be specifically implicating anyone."

"Exactly. So, tell me the name of every light bender and sonic mutant in Miami."

XxXxX

Shift was almost over for the day people when Speed approached Greg who was with Eric and Tyler in the AV lab going over recordings. Greg didn't even know he was there until Speed put a hand on his shoulder. Speed watched in dark amusement as the younger man jumped in surprise. What he really wanted to do was spin him around, slam him against the glass wall, and demand answers, but Speed was good at controlling his emotions and that was a good thing for Greg.

"Sanders, we have some things to talk about," Speed said in a calm, collected voice.

Greg swallowed hard. "Did you have a place in mind?"

Before Speed could answer Ryan entered the room. "Breakfast in the morning."

"Why wait?" Speed asked.

Ryan shot Greg an unreadable look. "Because there's one more person who more than anyone else deserves to know the truth."

XxXxX

Ryan almost asked Speed to go with him to pick up Danny from the airport, but they still weren't on the best of terms. In actuality Speed and Danny weren't on the best of terms either. The one time Ryan brought up Danny during that first night of reunion with Speed his friend had gone completely silent and cold. Ryan had quickly changed the subject, but it still left him to worry just what kind of situation Danny was going to be walking into. At least Danny no longer had anything to be guilty about and Speed had nothing to blame him for. If the talks could just go peacefully they might all become friends again.

Ryan really hoped that things could be worked out. He had never managed to be as close to anyone as he had been to his three best friends. They had all gone to a special school for mutants in New York where they learned basic schooling as well as how to control their powers. Danny and Speed had stepped in when some bigger boys tried to take advantage of Ryan's shy nature. Greg had ended up being assigned into their room and the four had just become fast friends.

Then things had gone wrong, terribly wrong. The friendships had fallen apart and all that remained was the strained relationship between Speed and Ryan. Ryan hoped that by the next day everything would be on the way to being repaired.

Ryan's first instinct upon seeing Danny was to run up and hug him. It was the first time he had seen Danny in nearly ten years and only the third time in that many years that he had spoken to him. Despite that, Ryan restrained himself and merely walked up to the older man. He put a smile on his face and stopped just in front of a man who had only just become an adult the last time they saw one another. For a moment Danny simply stared back at him and Ryan could see in those conflicted blue eyes the terrible turmoil within his friend. Then Danny seemed to come to a decision and a smile broke out across his face.

"You've grown kid," Danny said in a thick New York accent.

Ryan rolled his eyes. "Not a kid anymore, Danny. You and Tim are going to have to accept that fact, hopefully sooner rather than later."

"Hey, you were still a snot nosed fifteen year old brat the last time I saw you," Danny replied.

"I was not snot nosed."

"But you were a brat."

Ryan smiled and shrugged. "Yeah, well, not denying that one."

They grabbed Danny's luggage and Ryan led the way out to his car. With the ice broken the two talked non-stop the whole car ride to Ryan's place, Ryan stubbornly ignoring Danny's insistence that he could get a hotel room. Once at Ryan's place the day caught up with the younger man and he gave Danny a quick tour before going to bed. He knew he'd need all the sleep he could get. Breakfast in the morning was going to be trying experience.

XxXxX

Ryan and Danny were already at the diner when Speed arrived with Greg. Of course, Ryan had told Danny that Greg was there, but it was still a shock to the system for Danny. Likewise Greg knew that Danny was going to be at the diner, but he still froze at the sight of the older blonde. Speed pushed Greg forward and forced him into the empty side of the booth and then slid in beside him. There was silence for a few minutes as the tension grew between them.

"You're an asshole Gregory Sanders," Danny finally growled out.

Greg blinked then frowned. "Well, hello to you too, Daniel Messer."

"No, you don't get a goddamn hello. You have a lot of explaining to do and I expect you to start pretty damn soon," Danny snapped back.

"Alright, claws in kids," Speed broke in. "I'm not awake enough to listen to any of you bicker. Coffee first and then we can start the inquisition."

As if summoned by his statement a pretty young waitress slipped up to the table with a cheerful smile on her face. All four men ordered coffee while they decided on food. She bustled off and the table remained silent until she returned with four steaming cups of coffee. It was only after they ordered their food and got through most of their coffee that Speed finally allowed the discussion to start.

"Alright Greg, I think it's time you answer our questions," Speed said as he set his mug down. "Obviously, you didn't die."

"It was one of my dupes," Greg said. "When Danny's flare up killed my dupe it was the first time one had ever been killed. The emotional backlash was too much for me to handle."

"And you didn't think we could help?" Ryan asked, hurt in his voice.

Greg lowered his eyes to the table. "Guys, I remember deciding to leave the school, after that...I have no memory of what happened for five years. The first thing I remember is waking up in some kind of psyche ward back in California."

"Five years?" Ryan repeated in shock. "How the hell can't you remember five years of your life?"

"I don't know. I mean, sometimes I get these clouded, distorted images of things that might be memories, but there are no details," Greg replied. "I've never been able to find out exactly what happened, either. My grandparents tell me I was dropped on their doorstep one day and I was...out of it. They put me in the psyche ward and a year later I came out of wherever my mind had been."

There was silence for a few minutes as the other three men absorbed that information. During that time the waitress arrived with their food, but none of them touched it. Greg's eyes remained fixed to the table. In the end it was Danny who broke the silence.

"Why didn't you ever contact us?"

"Something...there was something in my mind telling me that you guys didn't want to hear from me," Greg replied, finally looking up. "Every time I thought of trying to find one of you a little voice in the back of my mind told me it would be unwelcome."

"That sounds like an implanted response," Speed mused. "A telepath has been in your mind."

"Does that mean a telepath could fix what's wrong?" Greg asked hopefully.

Ryan and Speed exchanged doubtful looks, but it was Speed who answered. "Well, we're both mild telepaths, Greg. I don't think we have the skills to undo something a powerful telepath has done."

"And it takes a powerful mutant to repress memories," Ryan added.

"Oh."

The conversation faltered again as they ate their food in silence. Greg didn't let it last long. He knew that his disappearance had to have affected his friends. It obviously had not been in a good way.

"What happened to you guys? Are you even friends anymore?" Greg asked.

Danny snorted. "I haven't talked to these guys in ten years."

"Why not?"

"Because we blamed him for your death," Speed said before downing the rest of his coffee. "I left a few days after."

"I stayed about a week after Tim left," Ryan continued.

"You both just abandoned Danny?" Greg said in shock.

"I didn't blame them for it, Greg. Some things were said in arguments that cut deep and still hurt, but I never blamed them for leaving," Danny spoke in their defense. "I killed their best friend."

"But we were all best friends," Greg argued. He sent Ryan and Speed disapproving looks. "You shouldn't have abandoned him to his guilt. It was an accident after all and he had to have been feeling bad enough without you two blaming him too."

"It's okay Greg. Yeah it hurt pretty bad, but for a long time I just thought I deserved it. Until I got a call that you were alive and in Miami," Danny said. A smile slowly began to form on his face, his blue eyes shinning. "That still didn't prepare me to actually see you. I half expected you to still be that mischievous runt always hopped up on sugar and half out of your mind."

Despite still feeling like scolded children, Speed and Ryan both snickered at that. Greg, sensing that the ice was starting to crack, grinned widely. "Who says I'm not still? I'm just ten years older, doesn't mean I've matured any."

"And you're a CSI? How do they ever put up with you?" Danny teased.

"I tone it down around my coworkers. Don't want to scare them or anything." Greg smiled brightly as his three friends laughed at that. Maybe there was hope for their friendships yet. "So, Ryan, still the shy know it all that attracts all the trouble?"

Ryan opened his mouth to protest, but Speed beat him to it. "You wouldn't believe it Greg. I've worked with him for a few weeks and he's already gotten threatened by an angry husband, pushed in front of a car that barely stopped in time, and left at a crime scene."

"That last one was Delko's fault," Ryan grumbled. "Apparently he has a hard time remembering the new kid."

"So the only thing that's changed is you just attract dangerous trouble," Danny said with amusement.

Ryan shot him an evil look. "Yeah? What about you? Still the wannabe ladies man?"

"I was never a wannabe anything, but no. I've toned it down a lot," Danny replied. "Tim? Your turn."

"I'm still the same cynical asshole I've always been," Speed replied.

"All around asshole," Ryan muttered.

Speed's eyes snapped over to him and narrowed. "You're quite the jackass, so I'd say we're even."

"Hey now," Danny interjected before his two friends could really get going. "What's going on between you two?"

"Yeah, you've been arguing since I got here," Greg added.

Ryan and Speed glared at one another. Ryan looked away first, a flash of hurt on his face before it went blank. Speed continued to glare his way for a moment before he turned his head to look out the window. Neither of them spoke.

"Hey, we're all trying to work things out here. Whatever it is you need to get it out in the open," Danny coaxed.

That was all Speed could take. He got out of the booth and stood towering over the others. "No, Danny, we're not working things out. We're skirting around the issues and pretending like it didn't happen. I'm not going to live in your delusional world that thinks all the hurt and anger can just go away because the cause of it shows up."

"Tim, sit down," Danny said as calmly as he could.

"No. I'm leaving."

"No, you're sitting down and talking with us like an adult," Danny retorted.

"Or what, you're going to burn me up too?"

Hurt flashed through Danny's eyes before it was replaced by anger. "Y'know what? Maybe you're right. I'm not ready to forgive you for being an asshole. Maybe you should leave and let the real adults work things out."

"No," Greg broke in. "No, damnit. This is the first time we've all been together in ten years. We need to work things out."

"I'm sorry Greg, but things changed when we thought you were dead. Things were said verbally and physically and we can never go back," Speed said. He glared at Ryan. "I was stupid for even trying. I should have just let you go that day instead of taking you out for that drink. I could have saved myself a lot of hurt."

"That's right, because it's always about you, Tim. You and your hurt feelings and damn everyone else around you and their suffering," Ryan snarled.

"I'm having déjà vu here. Didn't we already go over this? I tried to comfort you and you blew me off," Speed retorted.

"You didn't try too goddamn hard."

"Y'know what? I've had enough of this. I'll leave you three to your happy reunion," Speed snarled and turned to leave.

Danny shot out of his seat and grabbed Speed's arm. "If anyone has any right to hold a grudge here, it's me. I'm the one everyone abandoned. I'm the one left to stew in my own guilt while the only two people I really cared about in the world turned their backs on me when I needed them the most. Don't you dare act like you have something to be pissed off about, Tim. You're the one that got to run away and act like it never happened."

Speed looked like he wanted to argue, but in the end he simply jerked his arm from Danny's grasp and stalked out of the diner. Danny stared after him for a moment, contemplating the idea of following. A gentle _don't_ passed through his mind as if it were his own thought and he shot a look at Ryan. His friend was eating as if nothing had happened and Danny decided to let it pass. He sat down again and sighed, looking at Greg who definitely looked disappointed with Speed's attitude.

"I really messed things up, didn't I?" Greg mumbled, poking the food on his plate.

"No Greg, you had no control over what happened," Danny assured him, rubbing his face in frustration. "We messed things up all on our own."

"Yeah, we didn't need your help for that," Ryan agreed.

"Tim just...he always looked at you as his little brother, you know that. Remember when he systematically destroyed that one guy who was bullying you into doing his Chemistry for him?"

Greg smirked. "God, Tim really did a number on him. I think that guy left the school in tears, didn't he?"

"Yeah, he did," Danny smirked for a moment before his face melted into a frown. "What I'm getting at is when I killed that dupe Tim lost it. We both said some things we shouldn't have, things neither of us can take back."

"And then he left you and Ryan to escape his own pain," Greg concluded.

Ryan sighed. "I pushed him away without meaning to. I closed our link and I think that really hurt him."

"He didn't have me. He blamed Danny for my death. And then you abandoned him," Greg surmised. "No wonder he's so pissed off. I would be too."

"You have no right to sit there and preach to me about how I should have reacted to your death," Ryan hissed. "He was the one who left and cut off all ties. Tim abandoned us both."

"So, you've all hurt each other's feelings and destroyed whatever friendship you used to have."

Ryan glanced at Danny. Danny looked right back at him with a raised eyebrow. "I...um...I never said anything hurtful to you. I shouldn't have left you and shouldn't have blamed you for an accident. Can we work things out?"

Danny and Greg knew that it was blow to Ryan's pride to admit he was wrong. Like most guys none of them liked to admit they were wrong. Danny respected that Ryan was man enough to say it, but wasn't entirely necessary. He had long since come to terms with what had happened, but it was nice to hear anyway.

"Ry, I forgave you a long time ago," Danny told him with a small smile. "After you and Tim left I dropped out of the school and wandered. I couldn't go to my parents, cause you know my dad didn't want mutie freaks in his house. I wandered my way into the sights of one Charles Xavier. Next thing I knew I was living in a mansion with lots of other mutants. I mean, at first I was hesitant to agree to any session with the most powerful telepath in the world, but Kurt finally talked me into it. I don't think I would have made it through those years if it hadn't been for Xavier and the other mutants there."

"At least one of you has let go of the past," Greg mused.

"Yeah, well it didn't come easy, let me tell you. I was a big ball of anger and hatred for quite a few years, but I had lots of people supporting me and helping me through it," Danny said. He took a sip of his coffee and sighed. "Tim's not going to be so easy."

"I never thought he would hold a grudge," Greg commented.

"It's not a grudge he's holding," was Danny's knowing reply. "He'll act tough and put up that act of being an asshole, but we should know the truth by now. Those are his barriers to keep from getting hurt, because he's got a tender heart that's been stomped on too many times. It's a matter of trust now. He has to ask himself whether he's willing to trust us not to hurt him again. We'll just have to convince him that he can."

XxXxX

"The case has been closed." Speed and Ryan both let out sounds of disbelief, but Horatio held up his hand to silence them. "They're putting the charges squarely on Vince Regalo."

"But he didn't kill Angela Santigo. He tortured her with his power and deserves to be locked away, but that worm didn't kill her," Ryan argued.

"He was present when she died and is every bit as accountable as the one who actually killed her. You both know that," Horatio replied.

"Don't have to like it," Speed grumbled.

"No, you don't, but there's nothing more we can do."

Speed and Ryan left Horatio's office in silence. They hadn't said anything to one another since arriving at work. Speed hadn't even looked at his coworker. But both of them were upset with the new turn of events and for a moment their own problems were forgotten.

"There's something funny about this whole thing," Ryan mused. "Vince Regalo is known as the Death Walker on the streets, he's a tough guy, but someone had him scared."

"This is bigger than just Angela Santigo," Speed agreed. "She was just the platform for a higher goal."

"Yeah, but what?"

Speed shrugged. "I don't know, but something tells me we're not going to like the answer."


	2. Observations

Eric was a good CSI for a reason. His powers of observation were better than most people would have given him credit for. One would have had to be completely oblivious not to see the tension between Speed and Ryan. It was so painfully obvious that even the lab techs could see it. His observational skills came in handy when it came to determining why there was so much tension. Eric could stand back at a safe distance and watch both his friends and he could see the deeper emotions boiling in both of them. They were both angry and anyone worth their CSI skills could tell that the anger stemmed from hurt. The only thing left for Eric to wonder was where that hurt came from.

Neither Speed nor Ryan would talk to him about whatever was bothering them. He didn't really expect Ryan to open up about it, he was just getting to know the kid, but Speed was a different story. He and Speed had been friends for a long time and though Speed didn't often open up to other people he was a little more open with Eric. So it hurt just a little bit that his best friend was keeping something from him. There was of course the big secret Speed thought he was keeping from Eric, but after several years of close observation Eric had figured it out.

Speed was a mutant. The fact didn't bother Eric at all. Actually he thought it was pretty cool. There were times he wished he were a hydro mutant so that he could have an even closer relationship with water. Those thoughts were usually silenced by encounters with Mutant Control agents. He had never been impressed with them or how they treated mutants. He wondered if all the mutant haters joined Mutant Control just so they could have that power over mutants. He had observed Speed being harassed on numerous occasions and a lot of the time it was the same African American agent. That had probably been Eric's first clue that Speed was a mutant.

The second clue was Speed's reaction to every mutant case they had together. Oh he was sure Speed thought he didn't react to it, but Eric was very good at noticing the subtle changes in people's attitudes. Every murdered mutant was met with sadness. There was always a hint of indignant anger for every terrorized mutant whether it was robbery, rape, or hate crimes. Any other person, with the exception of other CSIs, would have missed those subtle emotions from Speed, but Eric didn't miss a thing.

That was part of what was frustrating him so much about the whole Speed and Ryan situation. They were giving him nothing to work with. There was anger and hurt, but nothing more. Ryan would glare at Speed and Speed would glare back and that revealed absolutely nothing except what he already knew. He was pretty sure he might have been missing something, because with both of them being mutants there could have been some kind of telepathy thing going on that he wasn't privy to, but he doubted that. Not that he knew what their abilities were, he just knew they were mutants.

In truth he was assuming that Ryan was a mutant. It wasn't a confirmed thing in his mind yet, but he was pretty sure. It was in his experience that mutants who didn't want to be "out" would avoid the subject of mutants when possible. Most norms, as Eric had heard normal humans called, had an opinion on mutants and didn't have a problem with voicing it. Ryan avoided the subject, but when the subject came up his nervous tendencies spoke volumes. Eric was sure Ryan didn't even know that he chewed on his nails or that he tapped his feet when he was nervous, but Eric had picked up on it fairly quickly. The subject of mutants made Ryan nervous therefore Eric deduced that Ryan was most likely a mutant.

And Eric wondered if maybe he was thinking about Ryan just a little too much. He'd long since come to terms with the fact that he swung both ways. He didn't have a preference and liked to be with a man just as much a woman. But after Ryan showed up at the lab Eric stopped sleeping around as much. His unhealthy obsession with the new kid began pretty much immediately and he was sure that he was obvious to anyone who bothered to look. Apparently Ryan was oblivious, but Speed certainly wasn't. In fact, Speed seemed to figure out Eric's feelings before Eric did. Speed hadn't confronted him about it yet, but he didn't really have to. Eric could read the warnings in the looks he was given. There was a clear _I know how to hide bodies _warning in the looks he received any time Speed caught him staring at Ryan, which was happening more and more as the days went by. And with a team full of observational people, minus Ryan who was oblivious to any attention paid to him, it probably wasn't a good thing. He was sure even the visiting CSIs from Vegas could see his obvious attraction to Ryan.

And that brought Eric to one of the other things bothering him. Speed's attitude had only just gotten worse since the three CSIs from Vegas had arrived. Judging by the conversations he had overheard so far Speed, Ryan, and Greg Sanders, one of the Vegas crew, were childhood friends. Some kind of drama went down when they were teenagers and now they were trying to repair the friendships that had been damaged. Well, it seemed like Ryan and Greg were trying to work things out, but Speed wasn't playing nice. That didn't surprise Eric in the least. Speed never really held a grudge, though it may have seemed that way to anyone who didn't know him. He was simply the type that could never be fooled twice. If someone hurt him once he was extremely hesitant to open up to that person again. If someone pushed his buttons to the point of actually angering him he would simply have nothing to do with that person. So knowing that Eric could guess that Ryan and Greg had hurt Speed long ago and he was unwilling to let them in to hurt him again.

"Hey Eric, any matches on those fingerprints yet?"

Eric jolted out of his thoughts and looked up at Nick Stokes, another one of the visiting Vegas CSIs. "Not yet, but I'm working on it. How are things coming with Trace?"

"They're...coming," Nick replied. Eric cocked an eyebrow at that and Nick sighed. "I think Wolfe is out to get me."

It was said with such seriousness that at first Eric was positive he was joking and laughed. But when Nick's frown only deepened Eric's laughter trailed off. For a moment he didn't know what to think, but finally he grinned and shook his head.

"You think _Ryan _is out to get you? Besides the fact that he wouldn't hurt a fly, he hasn't even really worked with you. Why would he be out to get you?" Eric asked, unable to hide his amusement.

Nick was quiet for a moment and Eric's amusement started to fade. They had been working together for almost a week trying to catch the serial killer and he liked to think they were becoming friends. So, it was easy for Eric to see that Nick was generally disturbed about something. When Nick finally spoke it was clear he had chosen his words carefully.

"I don't want you to take this the wrong way or anything, but it almost seems like he's jealous of me."

They were observational people, so Eric knew that Nick wasn't saying this without some supporting evidence. "Why would you think that?"

"Well, don't take this as fact because I'm really only assuming things here, but I think he has a thing for Greg," Nick replied.

It was only Eric's experience as an interrogator that kept the surprise off his face. Had he been too focused on his own feelings for Ryan that he missed Ryan's feelings for Greg? Ryan and Greg were old friends and Eric could tell by watching them that they were really close. Where did that leave him? If Ryan was attracted to Greg how was he supposed to compete with that? There was history there that Eric could never know or properly understand. He was far from having a low self-confidence, but he knew when he was beaten. He just found it a little unfair that he was beaten before he even had a chance.

"And where does that put you?" Eric asked, trying to put his mind back on Nick's situation and not his own.

Nick shrugged. "I'm not entirely sure if he thinks I have a thing for Greg or if he thinks Greg has a thing for me. I'm working on little information here, but that's what my gut is telling me."

"Not good to make assumptions," Eric warned him.

"I know, but I can't think of any other reason why Ryan would growl at me any time I come close to him."

Eric laughed at that, the seriousness of the situation gone at the mental image of Ryan growling at anyone. "He growled at you? Like seriously growled at you?"

"As if he were a dog protecting his bone," Nick confirmed with a grin of his own.

"I can talk to him if you want," Eric offered.

"Nah, man, it's cool. No reason to bring you into it. We probably won't be here too much longer anyway," Nick replied. "On that note, I should probably check in with my boss."

With that Nick was gone and Eric was left to his thoughts once more. That wasn't necessarily a good thing. All he could think about was Ryan pining after Greg. Worse was the fact that Eric hadn't watched Greg closely enough to see if there was a mutual attraction there. If Greg liked Ryan back there was definitely no hope for him.

Eric had just bent over to look closer at a fingerprint when he was interrupted again. He nearly jumped out of his skin as someone tapped on his shoulder. He hadn't even heard anyone come in. He spun and watched as amusement flashed across Speed's face before it was gone again.

"We need to talk," his older friend said.

Eric leant back against he counter. "About what?"

Speed hesitated then, which didn't really surprise Eric. It surprised him that Speed had actually gone out of his way to come talk to him about something not pertaining to a case. Those kinds of talks usually happened when they were both mildly focused on something else, like evidence, so that they weren't really thinking about how much they were opening up to one another. That was usually Speed's way of doing things, not that Eric wouldn't have been perfectly happy with talking over beer or something.

"You know you can tell me anything," Eric encouraged.

Speed raised an eyebrow. "I'm here to talk about you, Delko. Not me."

"Then why the hesitation?"

"Because I'm not very good at this."

Eric nodded knowingly. "Yeah, could have guessed that."

Speed shot him a thoroughly _not amused _look. "You're giving me a headache."

Eric was silent for a moment as he stared at his friend in mild confusion. How was he giving Speed a headache? What the hell was Speed talking about? And then just like that his reasoning abilities kicked in. He'd determined Speed was a mutant so maybe his abilities had something to do with it. He wasn't sure if he should let on that he knew Speed's secret or if he should just let his friend believe it was a secret.

"Do you want some pain killers?" Eric asked, going for ignorance.

Speed glared at him. "No, I need you to tell me what's got your emotions so twisted up."

"My...you're an empath?" The question was out of his mouth before he could stop it.

Speed paled, but otherwise tried to look unaffected by the fact that there was one more person in the world who knew he was a mutant. Eric could see Speed was debating on whether or not to confirm the question. There was a long moment where he was sure Speed was just going to turn around and leave, but finally the older man sighed deeply.

"Yeah, I am."

"Cool," Eric said with a grin.

Speed rolled his eyes. "You would think it's cool. You don't have to deal with it."

"Do you still have a headache?"

"With your excitement pounding at me? Yeah, I still have a headache, Delko. I will until you get whatever's bothering you settled."

It was Eric's turn to hesitate. He was sure that Speed knew he was attracted to Ryan, but he wasn't positive and he wasn't sure if he wanted to confirm it or not. Despite whatever was going on between them Speed still seemed protective of their younger coworker.

Speed rolled his eyes. "You really think you can keep things from an empath? Delko, I knew you were attracted to Ryan before you did. You project your emotions and your thoughts louder than anyone else I know."

"Sorry?"

"Not like you can help it, yet. I'm going to change that very soon, but for now you need to tell me what's got you so rattled. I know it has something to do with Ryan, so fill in the blanks."

"I don't suppose there's anyway I can get out of this?" Eric asked hopefully.

"You gave me a headache. I have a right to know."

Eric sighed at his friend's simple, undeniable logic. "Ryan likes Greg."

There was silence from Speed and Eric knew that his empathic friend probably already knew that. Speed probably knew everyone's feelings before they ever did. For that reason he knew that Speed could feel the jealous radiating off him.

"That's a complicated situation," Speed finally said.

"Not really. Ryan likes Greg and I'm willing to bet Greg likes Ryan," Eric retorted. He wished he knew how to keep his emotions to himself, because the last thing he wanted was Speed to feel how lost he felt about the whole situation.

"Eric," Speed's voice took on somewhat of a softer tone and Eric was mildly startled by it. "You have every bit of a chance with Ryan as Greg does."

"Yeah, because I can compete with the history they have. They have a whole chemistry together already. How the hell do I compete with that?"

Speed shot him a thoroughly annoyed look. "How in the hell did you become a CSI? How are you still a CSI? Are you telling me that you're seriously giving up?"

"I'm smart enough to see I don't have a chance."

"No, you're stupid enough not to fight for what you want," Speed snapped. "I mean, are you completely blind? Ryan's been attracted to you since he started working here, possibly even before. Greg just came back into his life and there is nothing but friendship between them right now. Ryan's completely oblivious to the fact that Greg likes him back. If you're willing to fight for him you have just as much of a chance of winning him over as Greg does."

Eric tried to keep a hopeful look off his face, but he knew Speed probably sensed it anyway. "You really think I have a chance?"

"I wouldn't encourage you to put yourself out there like that if I didn't know you have a chance," Speed replied, rolling his eyes. "You have an advantage over Greg anyway, as long as you play your cards right."

"Oh yeah? Who?"

Speed snorted. "Me, dumbass."

"You're Greg's friend too though. Aren't you going to help him?"

"We're not playing well together right now," Speed replied curtly.

That definitely stirred up Eric's curiosity, but he knew that tone. Speed didn't want to go into details and pushing him would only piss him off. Eric decided to let it drop and instead fixed his friend with a small smile.

"Headache?"

"Getting better," Speed said. "Now that we've got that settled, I've still got work to do."

"Hey Speed," Eric called out as his friend turned to leave.

"Yeah?"

"Thanks."

Speed snorted. "Don't thank me yet. This is just the beginning."


End file.
